The present invention relates to amusement devices and, more particularly, to an amusement device in the general form of a water gun toy such as those commonly referred to as xe2x80x9csquirt guns.xe2x80x9d
Water and moving water is the source of much fascination and amusement, particularly when a person can actuate and control or manipulate a water source to provide a desired effect, including, as with the toy guns of the present invention, lighted and/or colored, long, powerful streams of water.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,129 discloses a toy water pistol with a reciprocal pump for building up pressure against a liquid for ejecting a stream thereof forwardly through a nozzle an appreciable distance, valve means for controlling the flow of the liquid, a source of electricity, light responsive means and lamps for constituting means for illuminating the stream, a buzzer and a switch for controlling the operation of the lamp and buzzer, and a trigger for simultaneously operating the valve means and switch. The water chamber or reservoir is mounted within an elongated barrel. A pump in the form of a piston, a piston rod, and rear handle is used to build air pressure within the reservoir or chamber. The air pressure from reciprocation of the piston within its cylinder forces air past a check valve and into the reservoir. The pressurized water is discharged from the reservoir through an outlet hose and it flows to a valve means. When the trigger is depressed to open the valve means against the biasing force of a spring, the pressurized water flows through an outlet hose to the nozzle at the front end of the gun. A lamp within a reflector is positioned immediately behind the nozzle to illuminate the stream of water. While the disclosed water pistol may be well-suited for its intended purpose, there is no disclosure or suggestion that the stream of liquid ejected by the pistol is coherent, or how to provide a lighted, coherent stream of liquid.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides an amusement device in the general form of a water gun toy such as those commonly referred to as squirt guns, wherein, in use, the toy produces a lighted coherent xe2x80x9cshotxe2x80x9d or stream of liquid.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides a squirt gun for shooting a stream or burst of liquid, wherein the gun comprises a generally elongated housing having a front end, a rear end, an internal chamber for containing a liquid and a portion for containing a source of electricity, a conduit connected to the chamber and to a nozzle at the front end, a pump for pressurizing the chamber for forcing a stream of liquid through the conduit and out of the nozzle, valve structures suitable for controlling the flow of liquid, including for making the stream of liquid coherent, at least one light source adjacent to the front end for illuminating a stream of liquid, means for coupling and operating the means for illuminating and the source of electricity, and a trigger mechanism connected to the housing for actuating a stream of liquid.
In one embodiment, a xe2x80x9csmallerxe2x80x9d water gun design comprises a housing defining a barrel, a water chamber within the housing, an orifice with a removable quick fill cap allowing access to the water chamber, a handle with a trigger, a coherent flow nozzle, and a double stroke pump. The water chamber is hollow and, in some embodiments, the quick fill cap covers an orifice located on the top or upper side of the gun housing. An air inlet port is associated with the water chamber to allow air to be added to the chamber when the pump is reciprocated or operated to pressurize the water chamber. The chamber includes a water outlet port for allowing water to flow from the chamber when the trigger is pulled or depressed. The trigger is connected to a trigger valve for allowing water in the chamber to flow, via suitable conduits, to the coherent flow nozzle. In one embodiment, the nozzle includes a PVC-coated, reticulated foam plug that provides that the water flow from the nozzle is a coherent flow. The nozzle also includes a brass or other suitable metal tip. In one embodiment, the double stroke pump is situated below the barrel defined by the housing and is connected to the air inlet port. The pump has a stationery plunger or piston, a floating O-ring, and a movable cylinder portion with a one-way flap valve or valves so that it delivers air to the water chamber when the cylinder portion is manually pushed and pulled. There is a one-way ball-type valve in the air inlet orifice that prevents water from entering the pump.
In use, the double stroke pump is manually operated, i.e., reciprocated to deliver air through the air inlet port into the water chamber. The addition of air increases the pressure in the water chamber so that, when the trigger is pulled, the pressurized water is expelled from the water chamber through the water outlet port, past the trigger valve, and up to the nozzle. The water is expelled from the tip of the nozzle in a coherent flow due to the foam plug. The water flow continues as long as the trigger is pulled the until the pressure is diminished in the water chamber.
In one embodiment, the water gun amusement device or squirt gun toy of the present invention comprises a xe2x80x9clargerxe2x80x9d toy water gun comprising a housing defining an elongated barrel, a light source within the housing, an on/off switch for the light source, a coherent flow nozzle, a secondary light source, a handle with a trigger, a dual action or double stroke pump with a depending handle, and a water and air inlet/outlet arrangement. Any embodiment of the present invention, but particularly the xe2x80x9clargerxe2x80x9d embodiments, may be connected or coupled to a water-receiving and containing tank carried on the hip or to a back pack with a dual function air/water hose, and/or embodiments may be provided with one or more xe2x80x9cin-gunxe2x80x9d water receiving and containing chambers. The housing is hollow and contains within it and/or supports a light source, a battery pack and a temporary on/off switch for the light source, which may be activated by the trigger. The coherent nozzle may be generally similar to the coherent nozzle in the embodiment described above and may include a rod or other suitable light transferring device extending through the reticulated foam plug. The rod or light transfer device transfers light from the light source into an exiting stream of water. The secondary light source may be adjacent to the end of the barrel and may be located generally below the end of the nozzle.
The handle and trigger of this xe2x80x9clargerxe2x80x9d embodiment may be generally similar to the handle and trigger in the embodiment described above. The trigger is connected to a trigger valve, although it may not be directly dependent from the trigger valve. In this embodiment, the trigger is connected to the trigger valve with a valve rod that pulls the valve to an open position. The trigger has an upper extension, connected to the valve rod, which extends into the housing and which contacts the off/on switch when the trigger is pulled, thereby activating the switch. The off/on switch is temporary in that it automatically returns to an off position when the trigger is released. The dual action pump is constructed generally similarly to the double stroke pump in the embodiment described above and it may be operated under similar principles. The dual action pump in the present embodiment may be connected to an air tube which outlets through the water/air inlet.
In this embodiment, the water/air inlet/outlet is coupled to the water tank in the hip or back pack via a dual function hose. The hose has separate tubes for air pumped out of the gun by the dual action pump and for the water pressurized out of the water tank. The water tube connects to another water tube, via the inlet/outlet in the gun that carries the water to the nozzle when the trigger is pulled. The water tank has an inlet/outlet, generally similar to the present embodiment""s inlet/outlet, whereby the dual function hose may be coupled to the tank. The tank also may have a quick fill cap covering an orifice for allowing the tank to be filled with water.
In use, the larger embodiment operates generally much like the smaller embodiment. The dual action pump is manually reciprocated, causing air to be pumped into the remote tank, via the dual function hose. As air is pumped into the tank, the pressure builds within the tank, pressurizing the water contained therein. When the trigger is pulled, the water is driven from the tank, through the dual function hose, and out the coherent flow nozzle. The water flow continues as long as the trigger is pulled and/or until the pressure is equalized in the water tank.
In any embodiment of the present invention, the trigger and/or trigger valve water releasing structure may comprise a trigger-valve arrangement as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,129, which patent is incorporated herein by reference. Generally, in one embodiment, the trigger valve mechanism comprises a valve casing having an internal sleeve at the forward end thereof, extending partially into the casing. A resilient seal or gasket is abutted against the end of the sleeve to serve as a valve seat. An annular valve member mounted on a shaft is biased by a spring to a normal seated position against the seal or seat. A second shaft coextensive with the first shaft extends through a bearing at the forward end of the casing and serves to mount a trigger button or trigger arm. A first conduit provides an inlet into the casing on the rear side of the annular valve member and a second conduit provides a outlet from the casing on the forward side of the annular valve member. As pressurized water enters the valve means through the inlet conduit, it cannot escape past the valve which is seated against the seal and it thus remains trapped in the rear part of the casing. However, when the trigger or trigger button is pressed inwardly or pulled, it overcomes the biasing force of the spring and moves the annular valve member from the seal. At this point the pressurized water can flow past the valve member and seal, to travel through the outlet conduct.
In any embodiment of the present invention, the pump of the present invention may comprise a generally solid piston having a floating O-ring around its periphery, a piston rod fixed at its rear end to the gun and carrying the piston at the forward end thereof, and a hollow pressurization cylinder slidably mounted on the piston and having one-way slap valves at opposite ends thereof. As a result, when the cylinder is pumped toward the gun it moves relatively to the piston, bringing the forward end of the cylinder close to the fixed piston on the inward stroke and moving the rear end of the cylinder toward the piston on the outward stroke.
In any embodiment, a quick fill port may be located on the top or upper portion of the gun as opposed to the side of the gun or water pack. This helps insure that the maximum water level determined by the position of the fill port will always be above the level of any air reservoir. In embodiments of the present invention, the piston for use in the pump of the present invention will be a hollow piston. While this type of double action or dual stroke pump pressurizes air on both the push and pull strokes rather than merely on the push stroke, other pump arrangements may be used.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides a water gun amusement device designed to xe2x80x9cshootxe2x80x9d a coherent water beam having an entrained light beam wherein, at least initially as the water beam leaves the device, the water beam and light beam are coaxial. In another embodiment, parallel light beams illuminate the water beam.
In one embodiment, the present invention comprises a water gun amusement device comprising a generally gun-shaped housing with a nozzle at the end, wherein the nozzle is connected by a large volume intake hose to the gun. The central chamber of the nozzle is divided by a reticulated foam plug, suitable baffle, straw stack (e.g., a plurality of parallel tubular bodies bundled or arranged with their axis parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the nozzle) or the like into a rear swirl or turbulence chamber into which the water from the hose enters and a forward linear flow or coherent flow chamber from which the pressurized water is emitted through a sharply beveled orifice. Other turbulence reducing structures and methods adapted to provide a coherent water stream may be used, e.g., shaped chambers, chamber walls, or suitable fittings. A light transfer rod may extend partially through the nozzle into and/or past the forward end of the plug to direct light from the focused light source into the coherent stream of water being ejected through the orifice. Alternatively, a light source, e.g., an LED, may be potted or otherwise suitably mounted to emit or direct light to the forward end of the nozzle.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides a squirt gun amusement device including a direct pressure system comprising a water reservoir having an intake hose leading to the forward end of the barrel of the gun, an elongated barrel having an intake chamber at its forward end into which water from the intake hose can flow, a discharge hose connected between an outlet opening at the front of the intake chamber and the nozzle, a plunger and seal piston arrangement slidable within the barrel, a handle extending beyond the rear of the barrel connected to a piston rod which attaches to the plunger and the seal, and a handle locking means and a biasing spring which propels the plunger forwardly in the barrel when the locking means is released.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the water gun amusement device may comprise a foot operated system comprising a collapsible bellows employed to send pressurized air through a tube to the barrel of the gun.
In any embodiment, the toy guns of the present invention are adapted to shoot a coherent stream of water which, in some embodiments, may be lighted by one or more gun-carried light sources.